NOTE:
This post has been withdrawn. The post has been published in my book, Job and the Problem of Suffering. You can order the book from Amazon.
My book, Job and the Problem of Suffering deals with the problem of suffering and God’s awareness of human suffering. You can buy my book on Amazon.
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Information about this post.
Before “The Suffering of Job and Divine Justice – Part 1″ was withdrawn for publication, “The Suffering of Job and Divine Justice – Part 1″ was read by 3453 readers. You can read “The Suffering of Job and Divine Justice – Part 1″ and other articles on Job by reading my book Job and the Problem of Suffering. Below is the content of the book:
Job and the Problem of Suffering
CONTENTS
Preface vi
Abbreviations viii
Introduction ix
Part 1: The Book of Job
Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Book of Job – Page 1
Chapter 2 The Book of Job – Page 7
Chapter 3 The Suffering of Job and Divine Justice – Page 15
Chapter 4 Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering? – Page 27
Chapter 5 The Suffering of Job – Page 34
Chapter 6 Job and His Friend Eliphaz – Page 42
Chapter 7 Job and His Friend Bildad – Page 51
Chapter 8 Job and His Friend Zophar – Page 58
Chapter 9 Elihu, The Passerby -Page 66
Chapter 10 Job’s View of God -Page 75
Chapter 11 The Speeches of Yahweh – Page 84
Chapter 12 The Restoration of Job – Page 92
Part 2: Finding Hope in the Book of Job
Chapter 13 Job: “What Is Going On?” – Page 101
Chapter 14 Job: “How Can I Handle This?” – Page 112
Chapter 15 Job: “Why Is This Happening?” – Page 121
Chapter 16 Job: “When Will This End?” – Page 129
Part 3: Insights Into the Problem of Suffering
Chapter 17 Dealing With the Problem of Suffering – Page 137
Chapter 18 God and the Problem of Suffering – Page 144
Chapter 19 The Silence of God and the Problem of Suffering – Page 152
Bibliography – Page 158
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>Awesome exegesis! I think Job holds so much great insight for us today for deepening our relationships with God and one another. In this book, we also get to see how to comfort people who are suffering and how not to comfort them. I think its a shame that some Christians try to dodge the issue this story raises by trying to figure out what Job's sin was. They reason he had to have done something…God does not allow us to suffer unless we have done something wrong. I've heard many Word of Faith teachers try this tactic. Dr. Mariottini, I was wondering if you have ever read Bart Ehrman's sttempt of dealing with these issues raise by the "Problem of Evil"? The book I think he wrote was God's Problem I was wondering what you thought about it? Thanks for this! I can't wait for part 2!
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>You might be interested in this online commentary "Putting God on Trial: The Biblical Book of Job" (http://www.bookofjob.org) as supplementary or background material for your study of the Book of Job. It is not a sin to question God, to demand answers from God. There is a time and a place for such things. It is written by a Canadian criminal defense lawyer, now a Crown prosecutor, and it explores the legal and moral dynamics of the Book of Job with particular emphasis on the distinction between causal responsibility and moral blameworthiness embedded in Job’s Oath of Innocence. It is highly praised by Job scholars (Clines, Janzen, Habel) and the Review of Biblical Literature, all of whose reviews are on the website. It is also taught in 262 US high schools in 40 states through Chapter 17 in The Bible and Its Influence. The author is an evangelical Christian, denominationally Anglican. He is also the Canadian Director for the Mortimer J. Adler Centre for the Study of the Great Ideas, a Chicago-based think tank.Robert Sutherland
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>Marcus,The book of Job is a fascinating book. The issued addressed by the book, the problem of innocent suffering, is a theme that resonates with many people. I have not read Ehrman's book, so, I cannot give my evaluation of his views.Claude Mariottini
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>Robert,Thank you for the link on the book of Job. I will surely visit the site and look at the book.Thank you for visiting my blog.Claude Mariottini
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>A question was asked of me by one of my church members regarding beginning of Job 1: "If Satan was cast down from heaven before this, how was he able to stand in heaven before God?"Could you give some insight to this, please?
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>Excellent!!! Listening to the faith teachers, one would come to the conclusion that Job brought this calamity on himself because he said, "The thing I have greatly feared has come upon me." (Job 3:25) As you have explained, the text does not even suggest that it was Job who brought this calamity, but Satan, ONLY with God's permission. Some say that the opposite of faith is fear. I disagree. The opposite of having faith is NO FAITH..and many people live their lives without any faith at all, and have no fear. A criminal does not fear the law, and demonstrates no faith either. Fear is a natural part of life, however God does not want his children to operate or live in fear because our faith in him should be unshakable, just as was Job's, even throughout this trial Even Jesus was afraid in the Garden. I do believe that we should speak "Faith filled Words," and keep a Godly confession at all times, and when things go different that what we have confessed, remember God is sovereign and knows what's best for his children. That alone is comforting. Looking back on my 59 years of life, I am so glad that I didn't always get what I prayed, confessed and believed for, and there were times that I did not "Walk by Faith," operated in fear,and in my own wisdom, and missed God's blessings. Faith is not just believing in God, but trusting him to do his perfect will in our lives, even when things don't always go like we want them to. God is not in the business of conforming us to this world with lots of things and wealth, but transforming us into the image of his dear son so we can carry out the great commission and lead the lost to a saving knowledge of Christ. Calamity has a way of showing us who we really are, and what we really believe, and who we trust. I knew a wonderful Pastor of a large N.Y. congregation. He taught Faith, and believed what he confessed. In the height of his Pastorate, he died from Cancer, only 58 years old. I know he confessed God's Word daily over his condition, believed God for his healing, but still died, and some would say he didn't have enough faith, he must have sinned, operated in fear, etc.. No one will ever know, but he never lost his faith in God. I know he had questions just like Job, maybe was even upset with God, and that's a natural response, but nothing can come to us a a Child of God, except by his permission, not our confession. The truth is, one day we are leaving here and should put our affections on things above. I love the story of the little boy who went to the pet store to pick out a new puppy. He looked own into a box of about a dozen furry puppies all clambering over each other. There was one little puppy looking up at him wagging his tail furiously. The little boy said, “I want the one with the happy ending!” When you choose Jesus, you choose the life with trials and tribulations, but it's the only life with the happy ending.
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